


Figuring It Out

by Capspandex



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Angst, Coming Out, Emotional Sex, Fall imagery porn, First Time, Fluff, Hand Jobs, High School AU, M/M, Multi, Rowing AU, So much teen angst like what is this happy Romeo and juliet, Threesome - M/M/M, homphobia, jack eichel's fear of snakes, mcstrome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-20
Updated: 2016-10-20
Packaged: 2018-08-23 13:11:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8329186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Capspandex/pseuds/Capspandex
Summary: The angsty  prep high school & rowing au nobody asked for





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first real fic I've done in a long time so I apologize for any mistakes.

Mitch Marner woke up that August morning, threw his bags in the car and impatiently waited for his parents to get in. He was more than thrilled to be starting at a new prestigious prep school, another new sport, and starting over. As much he loved being the popular hunk voted "most likely to be in the nhl" he wanted to start over from his city school life. He hated all the rumors about him, the ones that were true, the ones that did drugs, the ones that he had god knows how many girlfriends. There was truly no denying that every girl swooned over him. He was short and muscular, with big, beautiful ocean blue eyes and perfectly styled, soft brunette hair. He could've become a professional hockey player, but he'd decided not to. He didn't want to lose his high school years to a sport to maybe be lucky enough just to make it to a shitty team and not win the cup until he was thirty some. He still loved sports though; he'd signed up for rowing and hockey. He couldn't help feeling a little lucky how he got into the school in the first place on full scholarship just by having to maintain an honors average and do two sports. 

Connor McDavid and Dylan Strome were carpooling to the new school. They'd gone to public school in Toronto together their whole life, played hockey (and many other sports together) and were pretty much inseparable , making today no exception. Connor crammed into the car first, his somewhat tall and muscular figure scrouching down to fit in, his grey eyes squinting, and brassy, perfectly styled hair just slightly hitting the door frame. Next was Dylan, who was taller and thinner than Connor. His brunette hair and most of his forehead hitting the door frame as he tried to shove himself in next to all the overstuffed luggage. He rubbed his eyes that were the same color as his hair as he got into the car at precisely 6am that August morning. 

Of course they didn't have to go this early. They were going for pre season rowing because none of them had over done it before. Plus, with them being all eager and excited teenage boys they wanted to see their room, meet their roommate/roommates, tour the campus, and all that new school stuff. Connor was particularly excited. He was there on a science scholarship. Of course one would never really picture star athlete, Connor mcdavid as a science nerd but he absolutely loved it. He loved it so much he took AP chemistry and AP physics in seventh grade; and to no one's surprise Dylan loved to make fun of him for it. 

They arrived at the school at precisely 10am that morning. It was foggy and humid, but not that hot. They grabbed a map and tried to find dorm 1, room 96 where they would be staying. To their surprise, a short boy with beautiful ocean blue eyes had already claimed the top bunk. 

"Hi", Connor said dropping his luggage. 

"Hi", Mitch said a bit started. 

"I'm Connor and this is Dylan, and I'm guessing we're roommates"

"Well, nice to meet you"

They talked for hours about their life, hockey, sports, what the hell brought them there, and a lot more. They'd learned they were all doing the same two sports and had a few classes together. Mitch felt a little bit like a third wheel because Connor and Dylan were lying on the single bed together in some weird form of pseudo-not-cuddling, but Mitch was too afraid to ask if they were dating.

The truth is Connor and Dylan didn't even know if they were dating, and were sure as hell not discussing it. They were only sophomores and may have been doing this "bros" thing since they were barely fourteen. There were times when Connor would playfully kiss Dylan, and Dylan would kiss back. There was always an "I'm not gay" after, but they both knew that was a lie. By the time they were done with freshman year, just fifteen their relationship had become more, more sexual, more "I love you", and less "I'm not gay"; but they still would never ever ever call it dating. 

The next day pre season rowing began. They all wore, no so shockingly, different forms of the same leafs shirt and basketball shorts, which they soon learned was not proper attire. They had to have a 'safety talk' for all the new kids which literally no one payed attention too, even though it was probably important, but again who really cares. 

They ended up in a quad together with another kid, who was presumably a senior. For their first time they managed to do an okay job, which basically means not tipping in their minds, because being on a boat and not knowing half the terminology is absolutely terrifying. Dylan was pretty sure they were doing to die. 

After they got back to their room they all showered and made themselves look more presentable. Mitch wore skinny jeans and a plain grey shirt which although Connor and Dylan would never admit it, thought it was pretty damn hot. Mitch was going out to meet some upper class men he knew for lunch leaving Connor and Dylan to their own devices. 

The minute he left Dylan pinned connor down on the bed and began to make out with him, slowly and sloppily; just enough to make Connor moan into his mouth. Connor eventually broke the kiss by surprise. 

"Dylan, I know you don't want to, hell I don't want to; but we really need to talk about this", Connor said. 

"What is there to talk about?" Dylan replied. 

"That if the fact Mitch wasn't here we'd be sharing a bed, we've been close to fucking, we literally act like we're a gay couple who is dating, yet we both say we're straight and not together." , Connor replied part angry, part in tears. 

"I'm sorry Connor, I'm really sorry. I mean I don't know what we are. I think I love you, every little thing about you, every fucking thing about you. You're perfect, you're like my soulmate. Will you be my boyfriend, officially, for real?" Dylan said as he cupped connor's face and rubbed the tiny little bit of barely stubble below his bottom lip. 

"I would love to be, Dylan" Connor replied. 

They kissed for a while and simply admired each other. Dylan loved connor's eyes which were both dull and soulless and bright and beautiful at the same time. Connor loved Dylan's eyes which darkened with lust. He loved Dylan's little nose and tall figure. He just loved Dylan and he felt so free to finally see it. They loved these little moments of intimacy, lying on the single bed holding hands, connor's head in Dylan's shoulder, it was just perfect. 

They hadn't even noticed Mitch walking in. Mitch was a quiet guy, he didn't say much. He might've been admiring Dylan and Connor but he made it look like he was just scrolling through Instagram. He couldn't help but be a little jealous. He just wanted someone. He had countless girlfriends and two boyfriends in the last few years, but he'd never experienced something like that. Something where hardly anything is said and yet they can prove how much they're in love. He would do anything for that. 

"Oh, um hey, mitch", Dylan said looking upward hoping to god he hadn't seen too much of that. 

"Hi Dylan", he replied, in a by far flirtier tone than he should've. He couldn't help the fact he might've found Dylan cute and couldn't accept the fact that Connor was probably his boyfriend. 

"Not trying to be weird, but um, how much of that did you see", Connor butted in. 

"In all honesty, not that much. You two are cute", Mitch replied laughing, trying not to sound jealous. 

"Aw, thank you", Connor replied. 

"And thank you for not being totally weirded out by the fact we're kind of dating. I'm sorry you're basically the third wheel. We didn't mean for it to be like this", Dylan said. 

"It's fine, really", Mitch stated. He didn't sound jealous this time, just very genuine. Of course he knew the thought of just doing something with that couple would haunt him. 

They all ended up going out to dinner together at some sushi place on campus. They talked about everything. Mitch really couldn't help but asking about Connor and Dylan's relationship. He thought it was cute how they were best friends who fell in love slowly. He couldn't help himself from thinking about what it be like to have a relationship like that, or be part of that relationship. He knew his thoughts were radical but he can dream, right?

The next day at rowing was somewhat terrifying. It was rainy and the water was wavy. Today they were sweeping in an eight. To say the least Connor couldn't keep up, Mitch managed to fall off of his seat, and Dylan dropped four oars. The coaches were not pleased and that's probably an understatement. The three of them laughed it off and went off campus to get lunch at a tim horton's. 

The rest of the week went by smoothly. It was always rowing, lunch, shower, relax, and find dinner off campus. Dylan and Connor were glad that they became fast friends with Mitch. It was nice because they could talk to him for hours about anything. On a Friday night, just two days before school started an accidental sensitive topic came up. 

"How was your freshman year, Mitch?", Dylan asked innocently of course. 

The truth is he didn't want to answer. He didn't want to tell the stories, the reason he left public school in the first place. But, he did. 

"In all honesty it was a mess. I had a nasty ex who just exposed me. He exposed everything about me. He told the whole damn school my vulnerabilities, that I was gay, that I was a piece of shit. It broke everything inside me. I needed to start over so I applied for private, prep, and boarding school scholarships and ended up here. I'm truly so thankful I got accepted here and met you guys", Mitch said forcing himself not cry. 

"That's terrible. People like that are absolute shit.", Connor said. 

Mitch nodded his head in agreement. 

The truth is there was a lot more to the story than that. He wasn't ready to tell it. He was kind of a mess about it. He was angry about the Instagram calling him slurs. He was still upset about the boy he let take his virginity exposed so much about him. He still has a hard time trusting people. He doesn't know why, but he can trust Connor and Dylan, and that's enough. 

School starts on the last Monday in august. Connor is basically in advanced everything, Dylan is taking the least amount of classes he can, and Mitch is taking one AP course to try to look good. There wasn't exactly a uniform or dress code for the school but they were supposed to look nice for the first day. Connor couldn't have looked any more like a prep school boy if he tried. He was wearing a blue button down and khaki pants and glasses, which Dylan was 90% sure Connor was wearing just because he knew how much Dylan loved them. Dylan went as casual as possible in a white button down and black skinny jeans, and Mitch wore a gold shirt and khakis. 

"Aw that's so cute, you and Mitch are matching rich white kids", Dylan said. 

"Oh, shut up, we're supposed to look nice", Connor said kissing Dylan on the cheek making him blush. 

The only class the three of them had together was level two computer science, which isn't too bad. Dylan has 4 classes with mitch, and mitch has one with Connor. Connor couldn't help but be a little jealous that his boyfriend was going to spending so much time with another man, but he can't help how much he loves Dylan and how much Dylan is his. 

 

They're thrilled by how quickly their first week goes and how much they actually enjoy it. They join GSA and claimed a table in the library for lunch. They all felt a little weird joining as sixteen year old sophomores versus being the new kid, barely aged fourteen as a freshman with everyone else being new, but at the same time they had each other. 

It was one of those Fridays in September, where you're so excited for the long weekend and every class goes by so damn slowly you question time itself. They all had the first official gsa meeting that day during last period and it was kind of an escape. The club itself was small, with hardly 10 kids,  
and in some storage room. They were the only boys and it took them a while to realize why. They went around and did introductions. 

"Hi I'm Mitch Marner, I'm new and I'm a sophomore", Mitch said, shyly. 

"Hi I'm dylan Strome, and this is my boyfriend Connor mcdavid, and we're both new and we're both sophomores as well", Dylan said. 

The meeting itself went well. They talked about what it's like being outed. It was a sensitive topic for Mitch. It was the first time he felt accepted talking about what happened with his ex. He talked about how he dated girls as a cover up to keep his reputation. He'd finally let it all out and it felt so good. 

They had a long weekend because of a Jewish holiday, which none of them could remember which one it was, but that meant they could go home. Dylan had actually bothered to get his license so he was driving himself and Connor back; whilst Mitch was getting picked up by his parents. 

They rushed back to their room and the three of them stuffed as many things as they could into a small duffel back each like they were trying to sneak it on to a plane as a carry on. 

"Bye Mitch", Connor said cheerfully as he walked out the door. 

"Bye guys", Mitch said. 

They'd got in their car and began the four hour drive back to Toronto. Mitch waited impatiently for his parents. He thought to himself for about an hour. In the weirdest environment to be accepted, he felt accepted. He finally felt at peace with himself and he was pretty damn happy to go back home. His parents arrived around six and they began the trek bag to the city. 

Meanwhile, Dylan and Connor should've been paying more attention to the rude, but instead were lip syncing along to nirvana on the highway while definitely going above the speed limit. When they ended up coming to a stop Dylan rested his hand on Connor's thigh and Connor blushed red like a cherry. 

"You know I love you Dylan", he said. 

"I love you too Davo, I love you too", Dylan replied. 

They were sappy. There were so many little kisses and I love yous on the drive back it was literally a bad rom-com. They made out a red light while "still into you" by paramore was on the radio. Soon enough they were home, back at Dylan's house where they'd be spending the weekend. Dylan unlocked the door to find his parents not home which wasn't that shocking considering it was a Friday night and they weren't expecting home until much later.   
They both instinctively ran up to Dylan's room. Dylan pushed Connor down onto the bed. He put his hands under connor's shirt feeling the tone of his muscle slowly and beginning to nip at his abs. Connor took his own shirt off and lifted his head up just enough to make out with Dylan. It was sloppy because Dylan was still teasing him. Dylan moved down to Connor's neck sucking a huge hickey just far up enough that it would be a pain in the ass to cover up and Connor moaned the whole time and Dylan never realized how much that turned him on. Connor was leaking pre come and so was Dylan. They had never really gone that far in bed. They'd sucked each other off and teased each other to no end, but really not much more than that. 

"Hey, Dyls, will you um, fuck me?", Connor asked. 

"Are you sure.. I don't even know how to really?", Dylan asked, legitimately concerned. 

"Pleaseeeeee, dylssssss", Connor said long and dragged out. 

Dylan stripped Connor completely. Connor was on all fours and Dylan licked an tongue fucked his hole until Connor was a mess panting on the bed. He put one finger in Connor and asked "is this good?" And Connor just nodded. He added another and when he added a third Connor let out a moan. 

"Are you still sure about this? I love you so damn much and I really don't want to hurt you." Dylan said. 

"Yeah", Connor said. 

"I'm literally taking your virginity Connor"

"I love you, Dylan. Why else would I let you do this?"

"It's like just were still kids, are you sure you're making the right decision?"

"Yes Dylan, I love you so fucking much, just fuck me"

Dylan slowly lowered his cock into Connor's wet hole, and was surprised that Connor could so easily take it all. He began to thrust into Connor until Connor was screaming his name. 

"Connor, I'm gonna, I'm gonna come", Dylan practically yelled. He came inside of Connor and was pretty sure that's the best orgasm he's ever had. Connor was a moaning mess, Dylan's come was leaking out of his ass, and he was pretty sure his hole was stretched to its capacity and he wouldn't be able to walk for the next day. 

"Aren't you gonna jerk me off?" Connor tried to ask slyly, but just came off tired.

"Of course babe", Dylan replied. 

Dylan wrapped a hand around Connor's cock and decided to surprise him by blowing him instead. He took Connor's entire length into his mouth and sucked at it until Connor was moaning and crying and then he came right into Dylan's mouth. 

"I'll get some stuff to clean us up babe", Dylan said. 

Luckily they didn't get the sheets that dirty and there wasn't that big of a mess to clean up. Dylan literally wiped Connor clean because Connor couldn't exactly walk and cleaned himself down and crawled in bed next to connor, pulling a blanket over them. 

"Thank you, Dylan. Thank you so much. You mean so much to me and you're damn gorgeous and i literally want you inside me all the time now", Connor said. 

"You're such a horny sap", Dylan replied, giving Connor a little kiss. 

"Night", Connor said as he curled up into Dylan's arms. 

"Night", Dylan said kissing Connor again. 

Dylan really couldn't help but kiss Connor. His fluffy brassy, blonde hair and the way his eyelashes fluttered when he was all curled up was too cute even to Dylan. 

They may have forgotten that Dylan's parents legitimately came home later that night to find Dylan and Connor lying in bed together, pretty much naked. They were kind enough to let them  
Sleep in for a while. Connor was the first to wake up. 

"Dylan, dylsss", he whined poking Dylan in the abs. 

"Whaaaat", Dylan replied rubbing his eyes in a groggy, morning voice. 

"It's eleven am and I'm sore", Connor said. 

"Shit"

"What, Dyls"

"Didn't my parents come home?"

"I don't know"

"Well like what if they saw us, like we're not.."

"Well Shit"

Connor collapsed back into Dylan's arms. They took a moment to consider the situation. They were probably overreacting. They threw on sweatpants and walked down to the kitchen to make some form of breakfast, even though at this point it was really brunch. Dylan's parents were sitting at the table with the most concerned look on their faces. 

"What the hell dylan?", his mother asked. 

"What", he replied. 

"Oh you know what", she said. 

"I really don't", Dylan replied. 

"You literally slept with Connor, didn't you", she said, obviously angry. 

"Yeah, is that an issue?", Dylan asked. 

"So, you like boys now? You just bring them home and sleep with them! That's a disgrace and not accepted here!", she said. 

Dylan was in tears. He pretty much collapsed into Connor's arms and Connor couldn't help but kiss his forehead and brush his fingers across Dylan's face. Connor was shocked by how homophobic Dylan's parents were. Granted, he never brought up the topic, but he'd known them basically his whole life and didn't see them like that all. He guessed he really couldn't judge a book by its cover no matter how much he thought he knew about it. They basically ran back up to Dylan's room. 

"Fuck, Dylan I'm so so sorry" Connor said. 

"I really didn't think they'd have a problem with us. I'd just assumed they saw it coming", Dylan said trying not to choke on his words from crying. 

"It's not fair that your parents don't accept you, or us. What's so wrong with a boy liking a boy?", Connor said. 

"I don't fucking know, I really don't, but we have to leave", Dylan replied. 

Dylan packed a few bags and ran out the door with Connor as fast as he could and almost instinctively drove to Connor's house. As usual, Connor's parents greeted them nicely. 

"We have a situation", Connor said. 

"What is it?", his mom asked, genuinely concerned. 

"Dylan's parents kicked him out for, for, for", Connor replied, by far too nervous to tell his mom the truth. 

"For what?", she asked, looking over to Dylan. 

"For, me being with a Connor and liking boys", he said trying not to cry. Connor's face turned bright red out of pure anxiety. 

"Well first off, congratulations on being together, not that I'm even shocked. Second of all, I'm so sorry Dylan. I don't understand how your own parents can basically kick you out for loving someone. That's bullshit", Connor's mom replied. 

"Thank you", the boys replied in unison. 

Dylan really didn't know what to do. He knew Connor's parents would let him crash there for the time being, but what about the longer breaks and summer? Did his parents cut him off? He was so overcome with worry he began to cry. 

"Dyls. It will all be okay", Connor whispered into Dylan's ear. 

The truth is, it wasn't going to be okay. Connor knew that just as much as Dylan did, but he had to be a 'good' boyfriend and tell him it would be. They dragged themselves up to Connor's room and lied down in his bed and Connor put the tv on to some pre season hockey game neither of them actually cared about. Dylan pressed himself up against Connor and Connor wrapped his arms around Dylan. 

"I will always love you no matter what happens", Connor said, kissing Dylan's forehead and cupping his face as he usually did and wiping away the tears streaming down Dylan's face. 

"I, I love you too", Dylan managed to choke out as he fell asleep in Connor's arms so he could forget about what happened earlier that day, just for a little bit. 

They woke up around 6 and were so groggy they'd forgotten the events that happened previously that day. 

"What time is it?", Dylan said rubbing his eyes. 

"Six. At night, I think", Connor replied, confused. 

"I'm hungry and we should get dinner", Dylan said. 

They ended up going to the nearest Tim Horton's and getting donuts over an actual meal. Dylan was still in shock about before and was glad to just get out of the house. He and Connor didn't speak much. Dylan just gazed into Connor's eyes, which were quite beautiful he thought. They were a gray with blues and greens shining vibrantly through. There was a weird sense of comfort he felt looking into connor's eyes. They always looked determined, like Connor could do anything. Dylan's brown eyes, usually filled with lust were sad and dreary, looking down. There was a little bit of red in them from all the crying, his cheeks were still bright, and face puffy. He really didn't know what to do. 

They went to back to Connor's after dinner and ran up to his room. Dylan plopped down on Connor's bed and started to cry again. It really did hurt Connor to see Dylan like this. He didn't know what to do. He just got into bed with Dylan and wrapped his arms around him. He kissed him softly and kept saying "it's okay". Dylan was grateful, he couldn't choke the words out of his mouth but he was. He was so happy to have Connor. He was happy to have someone to take care of him and make feel just a little bit better. 

Their Sunday was truly uneventful. They both woke up at two in the afternoon, cuddled for a couple hours more and pretty much didn't get out of bed the whole day. Dylan loved this. He felt at home and happy. He and Connor didn't even talk. They were just giving each other little kisses and resting into the crooks of each other's necks. They really didn't need words to show each other how they felt. Their little actions of admiration for each other did all the work. 

On Monday, the last day of their three day weekend, they drove the four hour drive back to the school. 

"Connor, I just don't fucking get it. Why don't my parents accept me?," Dylan said. 

"I don't know", Connor replied. 

"They aren't even that religious or anything. They don't hold anything against you or really anything, it doesn't add up"

"I really don't know"

"Like I mean maybe it's some cruel joke, but I highly doubt it" 

Dylan sighed and Connor shrugged. They played various emo albums released in 2005 throughout their drive and they totally didn't know every single word to every song on "A Fever You Can't Sweat Out".

They got back to school and found Mitch in their room playing some dumb game that only existed for the purpose of passing time. 

"Hey", Mitch said. 

"Hi. How was your weekend at home?" Connor asked. 

"It was nice. I pretty much relaxed the whole time. How was yours?", Mitch said. 

Connor shot a look over to Dylan hoping he'd get a nod he could say what happened. Of course, Dylan had allowed him. He said "Dylan's parents cut him off for liking boys. It's just so fucking wrong. Our weekend was a mess". 

"I'm so, so, sorry", Mitch replied. 

"It's not your fault", Connor said. 

For the next few weeks Dylan was attached to Connor at the hip. The only time they were ever separated was during classes. They shared a bed, which of course they felt bad knowing it made Mitch jealous, but he understood because Dylan really was a mess. His skill in everything went down and neither Connor or Mitch knew how to fix it. 

Connor was the only new rower picked to go to their first race up on some lake a few hours away. He'd be gone for one day. He felt bad for leaving Dylan alone, but he'd really wanted to compete. He couldn't really help how much he loved being competitive and winning.  
Dylan talked to Mitch a lot in the first day Connor was gone. They shared a lot in common. Mitch really let Dylan vent to him for a long time. Somehow Dylan managed to crawl into bed with mitch and almost by instinct Mitch kissed him, and Dylan didn't pull away. Mitch took off Dylan's shirt and trailed little kisses down his body and left a hickey on his neck. Dylan was hard and Mitch could see that, but he wasn't doing anything about it. He just teased Dylan for a while and jerked them off together. Dylan fell asleep on top of Mitch. They woke up to find Connor lying down on the single bed with a silver medal around his neck in tears. 

"It, it's not what it looks like", Dylan choked out. 

"I'm pretty sure it's exactly what it looks like", Connor said. 

"Look we just exchanged hand jobs and fuck I'm sorry", Mitch said. 

"At least you're honest, and I'm still mad", Connor said in a very snarky tone of voice. 

"It was an emotional thing. We just sort of connected and one thing led to another I didn't mean for this to happen", Dylan said. 

"I don't fucking know what to do! You just cheated on me!", Connor yelled. 

He just stormed out. Dylan cried. Mitch didn't know what to do. Dylan just cried into Mitch's shoulder, and Mitch comforted him. Dylan felt guilty but something about Mitch offered emotional comfort that Connor couldn't. His eyes were red, face puffy, and nose running. He really was a mess and he was going to get through it, he always did. 

Connor, on the other hand, didn't know where he was going. He got in the car and drove, still  
In his pajamas and medals around his neck. He was having a mental break and he knew it. He emailed school saying he was going home for a few days because of an 'injury' and thankfully they bought it. He just drove, through a good chunk of the country for three days. It was quite beautiful. The trees were just starting to lose their leaves and the crisp burnt orange leaves hit the ground with each gust of wind. The air was drying up and the sky was a duller shade of pastel blue than it usually was and the clouds were fluffy. It just smelled and felt like fall. Every time Connor saw a beautiful site or sky or tree or nature he took a picture of it. Somehow the drive made him forget and that's all he needed. He'd also turned off notifications on his phone so it was no more than an MP3 player and a camera. There was one particularly beautiful site that truly struck him. It was a perfectly round lake off the road that was so clear it looked like a mirror. There was a single rickety dock and trees of various shades of orange, yellow, brown, and red were just beginning to lose their leaves. With each step he took toward the dock he heard the loud crunch of a leaf. The sun was beating down on the lake enough to reflect on it to create the most picture perfect photo Connor had ever taken. He was there, entirely alone, entirely cut off from the outside world, still in just his sweatpants and rowing t shirt. He felt so at home. The way it was both terrifying and relaxing. He rolled up his sweats and sat at the end up the dock dipping his feet in. The sight was so striking he felt a tear roll down his cheek. He felt all his emotions come out at once. He felt so shaken, proud, and confused and he just let it all out. 

Dylan couldn't stop calling Connor. Connor didn't answer. Mitch was there as a rock for Dylan to remind him he wasn't crazy, Connor turned his phone off, and everything will be okay. The truth is Mitch kind of liked Dylan and Dylan kind of liked Mitch. They didn't know what to do about it and they definitely wouldn't be speaking about it. Their few days at school were a blur, both of them showing up like a mess to class and sloppily kissing back at the dorm. It was like a horrible stab to chest when Dylan realized this was just like him and Connor at first. They were making out one day, and Dylan started to cry. Mitch broke the kiss, cupped his face and said "everything will work out, I fucking promise". 

Rowing was a good release for them. They were in a double together the days Connor was gone. In each stroke they took out their anger and frustration. Sometimes they really did hate it, but as hard as it is on the body it was quite relaxing. It was beautiful going up the thin channels and seeing the trees change from their vivid greens to muted warm tones of fall. It was beautiful to watch the sun begin to set as they brought their boat back into the boat house. They hardly ever talked to each other during crew, they just observed and everyone thought they were a perfect pair. 

On Friday Connor came back. He looked like a hot mess. His clothes hadn't been washed in days, his medals were still around his neck and he was wearing the biggest smile Dylan had ever seen on him. He took a shower and changed into jeans and a t shirt before anyone saw him and waited in the dorm. 

"Hey", he said as Dylan walked in. 

"You came back!", Dylan replied. 

"I took a long drive and just forgot. It was so peaceful", Connor said. 

"You sound like a fucking hippie", Dylan said. 

"Nice to see you too", Connor replied. 

The next week between them and Mitch was just awkward. They didn't talk much, all slept in their separate places and their rowing together was so off that they were separated into different boats. They were losing their chemistry and drifting apart.

Mitch was the fun to bring this up. They were sitting in their room all doing their homework in their respective places when mitch said "are we just not going to talk about this?" 

 

"Talk about what", Connor said pretending that nothing was happening and going back to his homework for some AP class he was in. 

"Don't act like you don't know", Mitch sassily remarked. 

"Ugh, fine. Can I just finish this really quickly", Connor said. 

"We really do need to", Dylan piped in. 

Connor finished his homework end the three of them all sat on the single bed, giving the others space of course.   
"We've lost our chemistry and and I don't know what the hell is going on with you two", Mitch said. 

"I see that. And, well he kind of cheated on me", Connor said angrily. 

"We have to make this work because I kind of like both of you", Dylan said shyly. 

"Shit", Mitch said and exchanged a look with Connor. 

"I mean I don't know how to do it.......I'm not against the idea of it or anything like I mean Dylan is my boyfriend and damn Mitch you're hot, I just don't know. Can we work it out? It's just like really unconventional", Connor said. 

"I don't really know how to describe what we need. I mean we all clearly like each other, but I don't want this to just be threesomes", Dylan stated. 

"I mean like I really want this, I saw your relationship from afar and wanted nothing more than to be a part of it", Mitch said. 

"I mean like do we just three way date and all fuck around with each other? Do we need to establish some rules?", Connor asked. 

"I mean like we can go out like we usually do and have some good sex, but the relationship should also be the cute little things like cuddling and making out after a long day of school", Dylan said. 

"All relationships need work too, because if it doesn't than it's really not a relationship so if we fuck up we try to fix it", Connor said. 

"I like how that sounds", Mitch said. 

"So, um Mitch. Would you formally be our boyfriend?", Dylan asked. 

"I'd love to be" Mitch replied. 

He didn't really know who to kiss first. He went for Dylan, because they'd kissed before. He loved the way Dylan's lips felt. They were a little bit chapped, a little bit thin and the way they pressed up against his plump, pink lips was a feeling that felt unreal. What he didn't know is that Connor's beautiful, plump, chapped lips even more. They molded perfectly into his face. He bit at connor's lip and was fully making out with out with him. Dylan didn't know what to do so he was just rubbing little circles into Mitch's back making him or shutter or moan into the kiss every so often. Eventually they broke the kiss in kind of an awkward way. 

"I love both of you so much", Mitch said. 

"We love you too", Dylan and Connor replied. 

Their chemistry had gotten stronger. They were officially put on the racing team in their 4 with a freshman named Auston and their cox named jack Eichel and they had a home race that weekend. 

The weekend came faster than they'd expected. They were all cuddling in the single bed when the alarm went off at 6am sharp to wake them up. Connor was the first to wake up. He was lying in Dylan's chest and really didn't want to leave but let out a "dylannnnn, miiiiiiiitch, wake up". 

They all groggily got out of the bed, put on their racing uniforms and went to the river. They met up with their other two teammates and carried their boat down. They weren't even racing for another hour but they were 'practicing'. Auston was one seat, Mitch two, Connor three, and Dylan four, and Jack as the cox. He had a massive fear of snakes so Mitch decided to take advantage of this and try and pretend there was a snake in the water. Jack was so terrified he led them to almost getting lost in the open water trying to get away from the snake. Thankfully, they made it back in time for the race. In their category they were competing against 10 other schools and won first place. They all jumped out and carried the boat back up faster than they ever have to celebrate. 

"Congrats guys" Mitch said with a huge smile on his face. 

"We did it", Connor said. 

"This is pretty damn amazing", jack said. 

They got a bunch of pictures taken of them for the school's website and yearbook presumably and they all celebrated with pizza and warm de-fizzed soda. Winning never felt so great. They eventually all went back to their dorm. 

"We did it guys, we fixed a problem", Mitch said. 

"I'm so proud of us", Connor said resting his head into Mitch's shoulder. 

They all hung their medals up on the wall and took pictures for snapchat and they all posted the same poorly edited team photo to Instagram with the caption of "golden boys". A lot of old friends had congratulated them and they all felt so happy. The mood was absolutely perfect until Dylan's mom decided to give him a call. 

"Um, hi mom", Dylan said. 

"Hello, Dylan", she said. 

"Um, why are you calling?", Dylan asked. 

"We figured we should tell you we're cutting you off for good", she said and then proceeded to hang up.   
He plopped down on the bed in tears. He forced his face down into a pillow as his face began to puff up, nose begin to run, and eyes begin to water. Connor lied down next to him trying to comfort him in every way. Mitch wrapped around him playing with Dylan's hair and leaving little kisses down his back. They stayed like this for a few hours, letting Dylan cry and stay silent just trying to comfort him. 

Mitch eventually broke the silence by saying "hey, babe, I could call my parents and explain the situation and see if they can help. They're pretty damn rich and probably could help you out@

"How are you going to explain us though? Wouldn't they like, care?",' Dylan asked, sniffling. 

"They're really accepting, so I highly doubt they'd even question it ", Mitch said. 

So he called. 

"Hey mom, one of my boyfriends got cut off by his parents. Could you help him out", Mitch asked. 

She said yes. No questions asked. Mitch was spoiled, like really spoiled, but he used it to his advantage and was helping out someone he loved. He had barely been dating Dylan for a week and already felt so much love and compassion for him. Dylan couldn't have been more thankful. He got his life taken away and given back so quickly. 

Mitch was a spoiled kid. His parents had some insane amount of money, of course they worked for it, and he grew up in a more expensive part of the city. His parents were very accepting though and pretty relaxed about whatever mitch did and who his significant others were. He used this to his advantage of course, and in this case helping out Dylan. 

"Mitch, you're so lucky", Dylan said wiping off dried tears from his face. 

"Thank you", he said. 

"Also thank you for saving my ass. You literally just saved my life, I, i love you", Dylan said. 

"I love you too, I love you too", Mitch replied. 

Mitch kissed Dylan on the lips and forced him back down on the bed. They were making out heavily, Mitch on top of Dylan and his hands running through his hair. Mitch started to grind against forcing him to swallow Dylan's moans. He could see Connor was jealous and waiting, rather impatiently for anything. Mitch left Dylan unattended for a little bit, messy and tired and vulnerable. He went over to Connor and making out with him up against the wall and Connor wrapped his legs around Mitch. Mitch put him on the bed next to Dylan. Connor could see Dylan was hard and gave Mitch a look. Mitch just nodded. Mitch quickly stripped Dylan down to his boxers and he let Connor do the rest. Connor licked the pre come off Dylan's tip and teased him by playing with his balls. He slowly took Dylan's entire dick in his mouth and waited to hear his little moans as he was in Connor's mouth. Mitch just watched, not entirely sure what to do. He made out with Dylan again, both of them so out of breath they couldn't moan. Dylan came into Connor and Connor took it all. The three of them didn't even bother to clean up and just passed out where ever they were. 

The next morning they woke up a tangled hot mess almost too late for school. Dylan was in the middle lying face down, Connor curled up against him, and Mitch was the awkward big spoon around Dylan. 

"I don't want to get uuuuuup", Connor whined. 

"But we have too", Mitch said, and gave Connor a kiss on the nose. Connor blushed. 

Dylan slowly rose out of bed and managed to get ready the fastest before the rest of them. Connor and Mitch were too busy being sappy love birds and Dylan couldn't be bothered. Thankfully they all made it to class on time, and wouldn't see each other until rowing that night. 

They learned at rowing that had two more races. One on Halloween which no one was particularly happy about, considering one it was Halloween and two, it was a week away. Their last race was the first week of November and it was championship between all the schools, and it was very important apparently. This was also the first time they were being split up. Dylan and Mitch were in a double together and Connor was in his own single. Their practice was rough. They were in new lineups on an awfully cold and windy day. It was so windy the crisp, warm colored leaves were being ripped off trees and the pale blue sky was being taken over with the darkening gray of the clouds. The water was rough and straining and after barely a few meters everyone was exhausted. Connor was pretty sure he was going to tip from the wind being so heavy, and water so choppy. He did, and at probably the worst time. He tipped in one of the channels with roughly no sure and the water was so cold it was probably close to freezing over, or at least that's how he felt. He waited for someone to come help him and ended up having to get back in and row the rest of the time, which to say the least he was not happy about. Thankfully, Mitch and Dylan really excelled. They came close to beaching and tipping, but they worked well together and were good at communication, which means they had the basics down at least. 

Connor couldn't help feeling just a little jealous of their perfect chemistry. He knew he was better in a single just because of how fast his average times were and that he was in general a better competitor according to the coaches, and he was even in talk for best rookie at the bullshit end of season awards. He was good at medaling and rowing, he should be thankful and he knew it. As he towed through the changing season and up the cold blue body of water he just thought about this. He wanted to bring up that he felt a little excluded from the relationship. He didn't want to work on it, but he also knew better than to avoid it. 

Much later that night, before they went to bed Connor brought it up. 

"Look, I absolutely love both of you so much but i just feel a little excluded and i WANT  
To work on it. Like I think we all feel that way a little bit. Like the three of us as a relationship really need to figure out how to be inclusive.", he said. 

"I agree, but is this about rowing?" Mitch asked. 

"A little. You guys have better chemistry and are just better at communicating on and off the boat which sometimes makes me feel excluded", Connor said. 

"I'm sorry I guess. Me and Mitch are just better in a double and you did so well last time  
In a single so I think that's why", Dylan chimed in. 

"I think I just need to work on communication. Like I'm a single racer and a center in hockey, I'm used to trying to things myself. I need to open up a little more", Connor said. 

"We're both used to each other so we need to work on opening up ourselves a little", Mitch said. 

They all kissed each other goodnight and had a well deserved rest. They spent the next week leading up to Halloween working really hard to stay equal and communicate with each other. It was hard with school work and training like crazy but it managed to work out. When Connor stayed late for singles training Dylan and Mitch would go back and shower together, and whenever Mitch was at club meetings or busy studying Connor and Dylan would spend time together just like they used to like making out during homework and cuddling in the big bed. Whenever Dylan was busy it was always Connor and Mitch. They would usually have long conversations together or not talk at all and just keep company. Connor loved this because he felt so at home and accepted around Mitch during these times. Of course they spent a lot of time together. They were awkward and it took them a long time to figure out how to kiss. They all found it perfect and happy, and that's what matters. 

Halloween couldn't have come faster. They woke up at 6, put on their rowing gear and walked down to the boat house. They loaded basically the whole entirety of the boathouse onto trailers and got into the nice, but stuffed coach driving them to the race. They got there that afternoon and unloaded and prepared for the race. The three of them were all pretty bored because Connor wasn't racing until six, and Dylan and Mitch until seven. 

Eventually Connor's turn came. His heart was racing and he was trying to keep a steady pace. He tried to distract himself by looking at the still green trees sticking out from the nearly bare ones due to the wind and autumn's wrath. He knew he just had to keep his eyes on the rough blue crystal and white waters in front of him. He couldn't keep them on the setting, nearly neon sun and the beautiful fading blue sky. He couldn't keep them on the people, shockingly behind him, panting and out of breath from trying to row so quickly. He had them locked straight in front of him. He could see the front of the boat and he finished. He finished second. He wasn't even paying attention and he finished second. The whole process was somewhat surreal to him. A medal was placed around his neck, he carried his boat back and hugged Mitch and Dylan. 

Mitch and Dylan's turn was different. They had a strong start and were perfectly in sync the entire time. Mitch had his eyes on the neon sun setting into a fading blue and pastel pink, while Dylan just had his eyes on Mitch's back and upper body so he could follow him. Dylan admired Mitch's body a lot. He was shorter than Dylan significantly, but he was strong and perfect and beautiful. He thought everything Mitch did was perfect. He was lost in thought, but still perfectly in sync with Mitch. They were perfect, but not fast enough. They came in third, snagged their medal, picked up their boat, and waited. 

"Congratulations", Connor said hugging Mitch and Dylan. 

"Thanks. You too", Mitch said.

"I'm so tired", Dylan stated, resting his face into Connor's chest. 

They just stayed like this for a while. They three of them tired and sore eventually moving to lying in the grass, cuddling essentially. The minute they laid down they felt relaxed and at peace and they each got lost in their own individual thoughts waiting to leave. They left around nine at night and weren't done unpacking back at the school until around three in the morning, thankfully making them exempt from school the next day. The three of them all got back to their room, showered, and literally passed out from exhaustion. 

The three of them probably couldn't explain how thankful they were from being exempt from school the next day because they didn't even wake up until one, and they didn't get out of bed until three. 

"I, someone who has never been drunk, feels very hungover right now", Connor said. 

"Did we row or have sex last night because I'm feeling like it's both", Dylan said. 

"We rowed and passed out because we're a bunch of losers", said Mitch. 

"Way to ruin the fun, Mitch", Connor said. 

"I feel like Shit", Mitch said, climbing down from the top bunk and inserting himself in the bottom one next to Connor. He pecked Connor on the lips and rubbed small circles into his back to try and help him loosen up as Dylan fell back asleep. None of them woke up again until their alarm went off the next morning for school. 

School for the next few days felt boring and they were all guilty of tuning out at some point. Connor was mad because he was falling behind in English and had a b+. Of course Dylan and Mitch teased him for being upset about this because his grade was an 89. Connor was truly a perfectionist at everything, no matter what it was. He was at sports, at school, at any damn thing you put in front of him. It wasn't great because sometimes he'd just isolate himself from Mitch and Dylan and even miss practice every so often to make sure his work was done to the golden standard. 

Their practices at rowing were getting longer and more gruesome due to the fact that the major competition was coming up. It was expanded to three hours a night and everyone was simply tired and miserable after. They knew it was good for them because they wanted to win. Connor in fact wanted nothing more than to win in his category and he was working like crazy. The boy rarely slept, and his boyfriends begun to worry. 

One night when Mitch and Dylan were about to go bed and Connor was still wide awake they decided to bring it up. 

"Hey, Connor, babe. You've been overworking yourself so much", Dylan said climbing up to the top bunk where Connor was. He looked into connor's gray eyes, drained of color and puffy bags under them with deep eye bags the same shade of purple as the purple in the sunset. He had stubble on his face and his usual soft and pink lips were dry and bitten. His usually youthful and bright face was just pale, and his on point hair was just a fluffy mess. All he was wearing wants a bright orange oilers sweatshirts and a pair of plain boxers. 

"I don't know why I have. I can't stop", he said. 

"God, babe, you look awful", Dylan said. 

Connor just cried. He didn't know why. He didn't know why he was stressing himself out like this. He was so tired and distraught maybe this was good for him. Dylan wiped the tears away from the bags and circles under Connor's eyes. Connor rested his head into Dylan and let it all out. He still didn't know why he was crying and he had to think about it. He was literally doing busy work and overworking himself to distract himself from his own issues and thoughts. He was terrified his parents wouldn't accept that he was with both Dylan and Mitch. He was terrified about his grades, so he was doing as much as possible to make them good when in reality he was just destroying himself. 

"Dylan, its because I'm scared and I feel the need to be perfect and win at everything. I can't stop myself", Connor said. 

Dylan was basically rocking him like a baby at this point. 

"I love you, Connor. You're already damn perfect and beautiful and what are you so scared of?", Dylan said. 

"I'm not though. I'm a mess, have you even looked at me, Dyls? I'm scared of what everyone will think of us. You, me, and Mitch. They'll think we're insane and we'll probably face homophobia and people being upset with us and not understanding and fuck fuck fuck", Connor muttered out. 

Mitch climbed his way up to the top bunk as well and sat with Connor. Connor's face was just red and purple. Purple from the bags and circles and, an anxious, puffy red from all the crying. His eyes were getting red and irritated from all the crying and the color had faded. He cried so much his lashes began to clump together, but he was thankful to have his boyfriends there for him. 

He slowly fell asleep and missed school the next day, which was fine. He caught up with the work quickly and just took the day off to think. He knew he shouldn't have broken down like that, but he also shouldn't have been overworking himself. He didn't realize how sore he was, or the fact there were massive bruises up his calves from hitting them on the boat so many times. He was so overworked, which just managed to work him up more. He realized how tired he was and that their championship race was in two days, and there was no way in hell he'd be in proper shape for it. He wasn't even eating. They only thing he'd had is coffee and maybe 300 calories worth of junk food. He physically couldn't stop stressing himself out. 

"Hey, Connor are you okay?", Mitch asked as he walked back into the room. 

"I'm better but just stressed. There's no way I'll be better for the race, and I was in line to get the gold", Connor said. 

"What makes you say that?"

"I've been eating poorly and overworking myself that I didn't even realize how much a tired mess I was"

"Just sleep and eat a lot and have a good practice tomorrow. Everything will be fine"

Shockingly enough, practice the next day was perfect. It wasn't Connor's best but he felt good and confident for himself, not just the coaches. Mitch and Dylan had one of their best days and times yet. They ended practice a little early to load the boats ahead of time. 

Connor passed out within five minutes of being back in their room and Dylan and Mitch were a bit more restless. Maybe it's just because they weren't tired and their nerves were getting to them. They crammed themselves into the top bunk and just talked. Dylan rested his head into the crook of Mitch's neck and eventually lied down on top of him. It definitely was not comfortable, but they made it work. Dylan literally crunched up on top of Mitch with Mitch playing with his hair and giving him little kisses on the head. 

The sound of the alarm at 5:45am was pounding and by far less than pleasing. Dylan un-scrunched his body and walked down the ladder to get ready. Mitch sloppily followed him, and so did Connor. They walked up to the boat house together in the thick fog of the morning. The sky was still somewhat dark fading from deep blue into a pastel blue and gray. The crisp, cinnamon brown leaves on the path way still falling off the trees crunched with every step they took. They saw the deep brown trees starting to look bare and heard birds chirp less and less as the morning grew lighter. The wind was light, which was good because no one ever wants to row in the wind. When they arrived they got on the coach driving them to the race, took their seats, and put their headphones on. Mitch fell asleep on Dylan's shoulder, and Connor thought it was pretty cute. 

After what had felt like an eternity they arrived at the race. It was already one and they got to fulfill their hunger with pizza. Connor wasn't racing until six and Mitch and dylan were racing at four thirty so there would be a lot of sitting and waiting around. They were trying hard not to let their nerves get to them and just played mindless games on their phones, did some lowkey instagram stalking, and tried to find the oldest and Cringiest photos of each other. Connor definitely won that because he found a picture of Dylan when he had bleached hair and a terrible mullet. 

Eventually Dylan and Mitch had to leave to get ready. They carried their boat down, hopped in, and waited impatiently. Both of their hearts were racing and their hands were visibly shaking. They both knew it shouldn't matter that much because rowing wasn't even their main sport, but somehow the thrill of competing got to them, as it always does. Finally the race begun. Neither of them rowed as fast or hard as they did in that moment. Dylan kept his eyes on Mitch on front of him and Mitch was trying hard not to be blinded by the blazing neon sun reflecting off the greenish blue water. Mitch was focused entirely on what was in front of him and setting the boat, that it was Dylan who had to acknowledge they won by 45 seconds and had rowed past the finish line. It was so surreal. They won. They were given their medals and returned their boat back to the trailer. It felt heavier than usual and they were sore as hell. 

"We did it, babe", Mitch said. 

"That's all great but can i pass out in the cement", Dylan muttered out, and then proceeded to lie down on the cement. 

"Idiot", Mitch said. 

"Love you too", Dylan replied. 

"Congrats guys", Connor said noticing the sun reflecting off their gold medals. 

"Thank you," Dylan said out of breath. 

Six o'clock came soon enough and Connor was ready. He had a shit week, but he was ready to take it out on the water. His heart was pumping fast and his adrenaline was running high. He looked at the neon sun set into the orange and pink sky and the way water was becoming less reflective by the minute, and waited impatiently. He took off and went so fast he forgot there were other people in the race. By no surprise, he won, claimed his medal, took his boat back, and lied down next to Dylan on the concrete. Before leaving they had a cheers to a good season type of thing. They were bittersweet the season ended, but they were all pretty excited for hockey season. 

They left at 8 and got back at 2 and the three of them weren't back in their room until 5am. For five in the morning they were not even remotely tired, probably because they all had a few energy drinks at three. They were all a little out of it and all a little horny. 

"God, I'm so proud of you babe", Mitch said sloppily kissing Dylan and pushing him up against the wall. 

"What about me, Mitch?", Connor asked innocent and pleadingly. 

Mitch abandoned Dylan and went over to Connor and made out with him up against the same wall, grinding against him. Connor let out little moans and eventually grabbed on to Dylan's shoulder. When Mitch stopped kissing Connor, Connor began to kiss dylan and grind on him. Slowly they removed each piece of clothing from each other being careful not to break the kiss too much. While they were doing this mitch nipped at their hips and sucked hickeys on their neck a forcing Connor and Dylan to moan into each other. Dylan moved his hand down to Connor's Ass and put a finger in. Mitch got the message and found the lube. 

"Fuck me already, someone", Connor moaned out. 

"I will, babe", Mitch said. 

Mitch got himself hard just from watching Connor in such a vulnerable state. He dropped down to his hands and knees and just let Dylan tease him and finger him. Connor was a mess and Mitch loved it. 

"Connor are you ready", Mitch asked. 

"Please, fuck me", Connor said. 

Mitch put the lube in Connor's hole and slowly let his cock in. Connor moaned with each little bit and started to leak precome everywhere, and Dylan was getting hard just watching. Connor was almost screaming Mitch's name by the time Mitch had gone all the way in and began to really fuck him. Mitch came inside Connor and he loved it. He felt full and good. 

"Hey, Mitch, can i fuck him, If he's okay with it?", Dylan asked. 

"Connor, can Dylan fuck you too?", Mitch asked. 

"Yes", Connor said. 

Dylan slowly lowered himself into Connor and Mitch was teasing Dylan the whole time. He started fingering Dylan's hole making him moan and giving him little kisses down his back sending shivers down his spine. Mitch honestly fell in love with the way Dylan moaned and shivered and stuttered and the way Connor looked when he was vulnerable and full. He loved them both so much. 

"Dyls, im gonna come", Connor said. 

Dylan started fucking him harder as Connor came all over his stomach and Dylan came inside of him. Connor slowly passed out on the floor. 

"That's the best fucking sex I've ever sad", Connor said, out of breath. 

"That felt so good", Dylan said. 

"God I love you both so much", Mitch said. 

"Should we do it again at the end of next season?", Dylan suggested. 

"Yes, please", Connor said. 

They passed out from exhaustion at that point and couldn't wait to start a new term and a new season.


End file.
